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MEET THE KROCKS: We are a married couple who started on a life-changing whole food, plant-based weight loss journey in June 2018. To date, we have lost over 290 pounds combined and we aren’t done yet! Read Our Story
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We have always loved traveling and honestly, when we switched to following a whole food, plant-based diet, I wasn’t sure what travel would look like. Would we have to bring our own food? Would we completely go off the rails and eat whatever we wanted? Well the truth is… a little bit of both.
The only time we really “cheat” on our diet is when we are traveling or for special “rare and appropriate” occasions. That being said, we have been making efforts to stay more on track while we travel, so we wanted to put together a list of the best tips we’ve found so far.
I have done several trips where I stayed as close to 100% “compliant” with our whole food, plant-based lifestyle as I could. It is definitely possible! You just have to get a bit creative and think outside the box.
Check out the video here and read below for our travel tips!
#1 – Bring frozen meals & find a travel stop or gas station that has a microwave
One of the easiest ways to stay on track while on a road trip is to just bring some meals from home! We like to batch cook something like our chili and freeze individual servings that we can pack into a cooler and take on the road.
When it is time for lunch or dinner, we find a travel stop or gas station that has a microwave. Sometimes the larger travel stops (like Love’s) even have a fast food restaurant or two in them with a seating area. If you are traveling with other people, they can always grab something at the McDonald’s, Subway, etc. while you microwave your plant-based meal from home. This way everyone is happy!
If you know your hotel is going to have a refrigerator and microwave, you can bring extra frozen portions to eat in the hotel as well. I once brought four days worth of lunches with me in a cooler and it worked out great!
#2 – Check out the complimentary breakfast at your hotel
Many hotels offer a complimentary breakfast and most of the time you can find some decent “compliant” options if you are trying to follow a whole food, plant-based diet.
On our recent trip, we found decent options at a few different hotel chains including Hampton Inn, Fairfield Inn, Tru by Hilton and Homewood Suites. All of them had oatmeal and fresh fruit. Just make sure you double check that the oatmeal only has oats with water and no milk or anything else added. I also like to check out the oatmeal or waffle toppings, because sometimes you can find nuts or other dried fruits to add to your breakfast!
Also don’t forget to grab an extra piece of fruit or two to eat later in the day 🙂
#3 – Find a market (or food court) to eat at
If you watched our travel vlogs, you know we love a good market! We stopped at North Market in Columbus, OH and Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, PA. Since markets have such a wide variety of options, you will most likely find something that fits your diet.
The best part is, if you are traveling with other people or meeting friends/family, everyone can find something they like and no one has to compromise! You can all sit together in the common seating area and enjoy.
#4 – Bring along some snacks from home
We don’t normal snack between our meals, but when you are traveling, it is always a good idea to have some snacks on hand just in case – especially if you are on a long road trip like we went on! You’ll want to have a backup on hand for those times when you just can’t find anything along the way.
We bring things like Lara Bars, dehydrated fruit and roasted chickpeas (yes, they have some oil). Sometimes we also bring apples, bananas, oranges, etc.
#5 – Go to the grocery store!
This may seem like a simple tip, but don’t forget that you can just head to a grocery store and pick things up! If you can find a grocery store with a salad bar, even better. Sometimes we just end up eating dinner at a Whole Foods. Other times we will go to a grocery store and buy some fresh or frozen veggies to eat in our hotel room.
#6 – Stay at an extended stay hotel
If you are staying at the same hotel for at least a few nights nights, try to find an extended stay hotel like a Homewood Suites, Residence Inn, Home2 Suites, etc. They will usually have a kitchen with a full size refrigerator, microwave, stove top, dishwasher, etc. They usually come stocked with dishes, silverware, etc. so you’ll be all ready to cook in your room!
#7 – Do your research!
Search Yelp or a similar app for keywords like “vegan” or “salad” to find nearby restaurants with options. I also like to search hashtags on Instagram so I can see photos of food in a certain city. For example, in Philadelphia I searched for #phillyvegan and found a ton of options. I like to look through photos because you can get a better sense of which places might have healthy vegan options instead of just vegan junk food.
#8 – Bring along a small appliance (or two)
We like to bring our travel kettle with us on trips. It folds up so you can pack it into a small space and comes in very handy!
Sometimes we bring along McDougall instant soups and use the kettle for hot water when we don’t have a microwave. You could also use it to make oatmeal or bring a small rice cooker / Instant Pot and cook meals in your room!
#9 – Discuss your eating plan before the trip
It is good to outline some “rules” for yourself before going on a trip. If you are traveling with others (whether they are following the same diet as you or not), it might help to discuss these plans with them as well. For example, my goal on our most recent trip was to be more “compliant” than we have on past trips. I discussed this with Brian, and although we weren’t 100% compliant all the time, we definitely made some progress from the last trip we took.
I think having an idea of how you want to eat ahead of time can be very beneficial. We do allow ourselves to “cheat” while we travel, but I find it helpful to come up with a plan in advance so I don’t feel like I am missing out, but I also don’t end up eating all bad food.
#10 – Plan ahead for when you get back
Like I said, we do “cheat” on our diet while we travel. The ONLY way that works for us is if we have a plan in place for when we get home. Otherwise it can be too tempting to continue in “vacation mode” after we get back.
Before we leave for a trip, we make sure to use our fridge calendar to outline what we will eat when we get back. Then we can batch cook in advance and make sure we have plenty of meals ready to go in the freezer. No one wants to cook and prep right when they get back from a trip, so having this prepped before you go is key.
Obviously you’ll need to buy some stuff fresh when you get back, so what I like to do is prepare my shopping list before I leave. That way, even though I still have to go to the store, I don’t have to put any effort into figuring out what I need.
Be sure to watch the video and comment below with your best travel tips!
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This and all 3 of the travel vlogs (and accompanying blog posts!) were fantastic, thanks so much for taking the time to put them all together. I looked forward to each one, you all are on a roll!
I’ve used Yelp in the past to find some vegan options but recently started using Happy Cow(website and $1.99 app) and really like it because it’s specifically focused on vegan food and has vegan-centric reviews.
Also curious if in the terms of #9 if you had any discussion about maintaining or gaining weight during the trip? Did you weigh yourself before and after the trip? Just curious how you framed this for yourself mentally.
Thanks again for all the great content, you’re inspiring a lot of people out here with your transparent and fun approach!
Wide mouth Thermos can be useful. Rinse out with boiling water first to “hot the pot”, then add quick cooking oatmeal along with some dried fruits, or soups or other quick cook foods. Helpful for quick getaways to eat down the road when it’s ready.